COLORADO: Marriage Suits Get Hearing

The two lawsuits to overturn Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage got their first hearing yesterday in a state court. The suits were filed separately but were merged earlier this year.

The judge hearing the case mocked the state's argument that Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage protects the "nature of marriage" and the ability to produce children. Adams County District Court Judge C. Scott Crabtree also was skeptical of the state's claim that previous judges had erred in their rulings. "They all got it wrong?" Crabtree asked. "What am I supposed to do then when presented with this? Just punt?" Attorneys for 18 plaintiffs — nine couples — from Denver and Adams counties argued that the state's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violates the U.S. Constitution. Crabtree will issue a written order later. He said his decision likely will be appealed. The lawsuits, which ask Crabtree to strike down the 2006 voter-approved ban, mimic more than a dozen similar cases in other states.

RELATED: The attorney representing the Denver County couples married his partner in Central Park in a 2011 ceremony officiated by our own Father Tony.